Annotations Upon the New Testament, Matthew · Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV.
HEre are three Parables, 1. Of the Virgins wise and foolish. 2. Of the servants faithfull and sloathfull. 3. Of the Sheepe and Goates at the last judgement. Two generall points are taught in all these Parables.
1. There are many hypocrites in the Church, as well as some sincere Christians. 2. That Hypocrites shall be damned at last, as well as more open sinners. In every one of the Parables, the Hypocrite is confident and thinkes well of himselfe, but the true Christian fearfull.
Vers. 1. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten Virgins] The kingdome of heaven sometimes is taken for the doctrine of the grace of the Gospell, the kingdom of heaven is like to a graine of mustard-seed.
2. Sometimes for the glorious State above.
3. For the state of the Church of Christ under the New Testament, where God manifests himselfe, which is a heaven on earth, so here, which kingdome is described by the King and subjects; The Head and King of this kingdom is described by his comming, He comes 1. As a Bride-groome. 2. Apparently, not hiddenly as in the dayes of his flesh. 3. Suddenly, in the darkest time, at midnight.
The Parable of the ten Virgins is borrowed from the manner of the Country where our Saviour taught, where she that was given to marriage had her maidens,The scope and drift of this Parable is effectually to stirre us up to prepare our selves for the coming of Christ, and to shew it is not enough once to be prepared for our duty, unlesse we continue to the end. Calvin. Certè sine veteris Historiae luce, Simile de decem virginibus nemo satis probè intellexerit. Nuptiarum solemne celebrabatur noctu: quod persuadent verba Plutarchi in Problematibus: ille ait, Romanos noctu nupsisse. Et verba Lucae Evangelistae. c. 12. v. 35. Adhibebantur lucernae & faces. Virgines cantaturae epithalamium domi per multas horas exspectabant lampadibus accensis. Accidit autem, ut dum ita exspectarent, dormitarent nonnunquam. Cum jam sponsus cum sponsa veniens limen domus tetigit, sese cum sponso in cubiculo repentè abdit. Scultet. observat in Matth. Virgines quae in thalamum ingressae clauserunt ostium, ita ut paucissimi & non nisi advigilantes possint ingredi cubiculum. Vide plura. ibid. and the Bridegroome his young men, which gave attedance on them, fetching the Bride from her friends to his house, which was done in the night. Iudg. 14.11. Matth. 9.15.
By the Bridegroome is signified our Saviour Christ himselfe, so He is called often of Paul, Rom. 7.4. and Ephes. 5. whose Spouse is the Church; under the name of Virgins all are comprehended, who by profession and promise of faith and baptisme, have undertaken to be Virgins, that is entire and faithfull unto Christ. Virgins not tainted with the grosse pollutions of the world. Ten Virgins, five wise, and five foolish, non quod numero sint pares, not that they are equall in number. All were Virgins in opinion; all had lampes to betoken their profession; all waited for the Bridegroome, which shewes their joynt hope and expectation; all slumbered and slept, bewraying their common corruption; all had fellowship one with another. The wisedome of the wise Virgins consisteth in this, in that before their slumber (that is, before the day of their death, or before their change, at the latter day) they labour to provide themselves of such graces, as shall not forsake them when they come to judgement, the folly of the foolish, in that their light died with them, they having not the graces of true faith, sanctification and repentance: so that when they were to be changed or raised in the latter day, they have no saving grace at all found in them, whereby they might with boldnesse appeare before the Judge of all the world.
By the lampe is imported that outward profession to men: the oyle signifies true faith and a good conscience inwardly to God.Hoc loco per lampades non intelliguntur faces seu funalia quae apud Graecos lampadum nomine intelliguntur, sed ejusmodi lucernae quae vasculis imposito ellichnio foventur, in hac significatione vox foreign usurpari videtur. Iohn 18. & 3. Act. 20.8. Gerh. Harm. Vide Bezam. in v. 1. Howsoever the lampes of foolish Virgins, of idle and empty professours, gave them credit with men, so that they were not barred from the company and conversation of the wise, yet in the sleepe of death they shall go out and shall not serve to light them to go to God. Our Saviour expounds himselfe, ver. 13. where by prepared Lampes, he shewes to be meant watchfull mns, alwayes lifted up in attendance for the comming of our Saviour Christ.
Traditio Judaeorum, Christum media nocte venturum in similitudinem Aegyptij temporis, quando pascha celebratum est, unde reor & traditionem Apostolicam permansisse, ut in die vigiliarum paschae ante noctis dimidium, populos dimittere non liceat, expectantes adventum Christi. Hieron in loc.Vers. 6. At midnight there was a cry made] This cry (saith à Lapide) signifies the Trumpet of the Arch-angell raising the dead out of their graves.
Vers. 14. to 31. This Parable of the Talents is the same in effect, with that of the Virgins, for as there was in the other a Bridegroome and a Bride, Virgins wise and foolish, the wise received, the others rejected; so here is a Master and his Servants, of whom some be faithfull, and some unfaithfull, the faithfull plentifully rewarded, the unfaithfull justly punished: yet this doth more effectually prepare us to his coming than the former, because it hath more arguments than the former. 1. In that they received their Masters goods, whereof they were to give an account. 2. In that their just reward is more lively declared. The Parable is, a certaine householder about to go into a strange Country gave to each of his servants a portion of his goods, answerable to their estate and ability, to occupy till his returne, and as they gained by employing the same, so they received their reward, Christ is the Housholder, the heavens are the strange Country in regard of us, Luk. 19.11, 12. whither when Christ ascended he distributed his gifts and graces to his Church, 1 Cor. 12.7. Ephes. 4.8. that we might use them in this life, and render a just account of them unto him at his next coming.
Vers. 12. I know you not] That is, like you not, so to know is to approve. 1 Psal. ult. 2. Tim. 2.19.
Vers. 15. To every man according to his severall ability] Therefore say the Papists, there is some prerequisite disposition in us. Answer, That is not to be understood of an active, but a passive capacity, men are not like stones. 2. Though the Lord may regard some dispositions before, yet they also were the gift of God, and bestowed upon us freely.
Vers. 21. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord] It is a great joy. 1. Because our Masters. 2. He saith not let it enter into thee, but enter thou into it, shewing, that the joyes of heaven are so many, that they cannot be contained in the soule of man. Such a joy as Christ provided, and which he himselfe injoyes.
See Ezek. 34.17. Dextra symbolum est faelicitatis, gloriae, regni, victoriae & triumphi; sinistra verò infaelicitatis, opprobrij, servitutis & miseriae. à Lapidè Vide Grotium, Cartwright.Vers. 32. And he shall separate them one from another, as a Shepheard divided his sheepe from the Goates] In what manner all men shall be ranked and ordered at the resurrection, is set forth by a Parable of the Shepheard and the Sheep: for as the Shepheard when evening commeth, gathereth his flocke and separateth the Sheep from the Goates, so in the evening of the world, our Saviour Christ shall gather all nations by the ministerie of Angels, and then there shall be a full separation, the godly being set on the right hand, and the wicked on the left, which separation the Angels can most easily make in discerning between them, as otherwise, so even by their cheerefull or fearefull countenances.
Vers. 33. And he shall set the sheepe on the right hand, Praeter. l. 1. in v. 41. See Weemes his Christian Synagogue.but the Goate on the left] Drusius thinkes he had reference to the Jews custome of judgement, who had two notaries, one on the right hand, to set downe the words of those which did absolve, another on the left, to write the sentence of condemnation; some say he alludes to Deut. 27.11.
This discovers truely the spirits of those men that shall be tried, the Saints are the Lords Sheepe, the wicked are Goats. The Saints and Sheep resemble one another in these particulars.
1. Sheep are meeke, mild, innocent, and harmelesse creatures, patient; so the Saints. 2. They heare the voyce of the Shepheard; so do the Saints what God saith,Electos comparat ovibus, ob innocentiam, humilitatem, simplicitatem, modestiam, obedientiam; reprobos haedis, quia hoc animal faetet, est asperum, immundum, petulcum, lascivum, rixosum. à Lapide. See 34. of Ezek. Olevian. his counsell swayes them. 3. The Sheep follow the Shepheard, that is, follow his Commandement, his example, counsell, a whistle will fetch in the Sheep, Christs call inclines them to come. 4. Sheep are sociable. 5. Sheep are the profitablest creatures to their Master, that any one can keepe, profitable living, and when they are dead; so the Saints, they live and dye to the Lord. The Goate on the other side is refractary, wanders up and downe, and is not for the Shepheards voyce. 2. Is a noisome stinking uncleane creature.
Vers. 34. Blessed] viz. In Christ, who was made a curse for us. Gal. 3.13. inherit] or possesse by lot, therefore because adopted he doth not merit.
Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world] What then could they deserve? these are the causes of salvation, that which he addes,
Vers. 35. I was a hungred, &c.] Are the signes of true faith.
Christ chooseth workes of the second Table, because they are most manifest to the world, and pronounceth sentence according to them, because they are more visible than faith.
The causall conjunction for, implies the meritoriousnesse of workes, saith Bellarmine. Answer. It is note of consequence and order, not of the cause, as we say Summer is come, for flowers do spring, and it is a good tree, for it bringeth forth good fruit. See Luke 7.47. 1 Iohn 3.14. Bellarmine urgeth that, go you cursed, for you have done so and so; there is a great deale of difference between the evill and good we do; our evills are truely ours and fully evill, but our good things are not ours and but imperfectly good.
Vers. 41. Depart from mee] There's rejection. Yee cursed] There is malediction. Into fire] There is the vengeance of that element.Calvin. And everlasting fire] There is the continuance of it, therefore they dreame that say the Devill shall be delivered at last. No naturall but metaphoricall fire, that is sharpe punishment, for the worme which Esay joynes with it, is metaphoricall, Esay 66.24. and the Prophet declareth it to be a metaphoricall speech, 30. and 33. verses, when he compares the Spirit of God, to a paire of bellowes, wherewith the fire is kindled, and addeth also brimstone.